U.S. News
‘I Just Didn’t Want to Die’ - Trucker Attacked by Police Dog In Ohio Speaks Out
By Belal Awad · July 29, 2023
In brief…
- Truck driver Jadarius Rose was attacked by a police dog after being pulled over for "a missing mud flap".
- Rose led police on a three-county chase, claiming he feard for his life.
- Circleville, OH K9 Officer Ryan Speakman was fired for setting the dog on Rose.
- Ohio Governor DeWine has called for better training of police dog and their handlers.
- Rose has threated legal action.
A truck driver was attacked by a police dog after being followed and stopped by Ohio patrol officers for having a missing “rear wheel mud flap.” The incident occurred July 4th, with video footage of the attack released just days ago.
Driver Jadarrius Rose, 23, of Memphis, Tennessee was pulled over for the missing mudflap after leading Ohio State Highway Police on a three-county chase. Claiming he feared for his life, Rose told ABC News, “I’m trying to figure out why they got their guns pulled out on me… I just didn’t want to die. That was what was going through my mind.”
During the chase, Rose called 911 and his mother to get advice on how to proceed without, as he claimed, placing his life at risk. His mother said, “I told him to pull over, and he looked out and saw that they had jumped out of their vehicles with their rifles cocked at him.”
According to a Ohio State Highway Patrol incident report, Rose initially refused to exit the truck and then disregarded police orders to lie on the ground. The police body-cam video then shows Officer Ryan Speakman, who is white, releasing his police dog on Rose, who is black, after state troopers had ordered Speakman to restrain the canine. Rose had to be treated for dog bites.
Speakman has since been terminated from the Circleville, Ohio Police Department, with the department stating that he “did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers.”
Rose and his attorney, civil rights advocate Ben Crump, have called for further action. “Justice for Darius is trying to make sure that officers who set dogs on unarmed black people are held accountable,” said Crump.
The incident has prompted Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to call for increased training for all police dogs and their handlers.